Helpless United States 



By Frederic Louis Huidekoper 



■ .- GUHS ■ S5 000 



The range of United States coast artillery as compared with that of guns mounted on 

 British dreadnoughts of the "Queen Elizabeth" type 



Although Mr. Huidekoper is not a professional soldier, he is an earliest 

 and close student of military history, whose writings, notably his ''Military Studies,''* 

 have been consulted with profit even by staff officers. The following article is 

 abstracted from his book, ''The Military Unpreparedness of the United States," 

 by permission of Messrs. Macmillan and Co., the publishers. — Editor. 



ACCORDING to the latest statistics 

 /A available, dated April 20, 1915, the 

 authorized strength of the Regular 

 Army — was 4,833 officers and 87,877 

 enlisted men, while that of the Philip- 

 pine Scouts was 182 officers and 5,733 

 men, thus making a total of 5,015 officers 

 and 93,610 men. 



Notwithstanding the small size of the 

 Regular forces in continental United 

 States, the policy of the War Depart- 

 ment to maintain the overseas garrisons 

 at full war strength — a very sound policy 

 since it will be almost impossible to re- 

 enforce them for some time after the 

 outbreak of war and then only under the 

 most favorable circumstances — must re- 

 quire a further reduction in them. As 

 the Secretary of War very pertinently 

 pointed out in his report for 19 14: 



"It will be necessary in the very near future to 

 take from the United States and put into the 

 Philippines thirteen companies of Coast Artillery, 

 1,950 men; in the Hawaiian Islands, three regi- 

 ments of Infantry, one battalion of Field Artil- 

 lery, and two companies of Coast Artillery, 6,380 

 men; and in the Panama Canal Zone, one regi- 

 ment of Infantry, one s(|ua(!ron of Cavalry, one 

 battalion of F"ield Artillery, one company of 

 Engineers, and twelve companies of Coast Artil- 

 lery', 4,774 men. . . . This will leave in the 



United States proper 12,610 Coast Artillery 

 troops and 24,602 of the of the mobile army, the 

 latter being then not much more than twice the 

 size of the police force of the city of New York." 



As the Coast Artillery must of neces- 

 sity remain stationary in fortifications, 

 the only force that can be transferred 

 to repel attacks by an enemy seeking to 

 land or penetrate within our borders is 

 the Mobile Army, which will shortly 

 be reduced to 24,602, as Mr. Carrison 

 has stated.* It is an astounding proof 

 of our unpreparedness at the present 

 moment that such a force would be 

 smaller than the actual strength of 

 the Regular Army at any time since 

 the close of 1861 — save in April, 

 1865, when it numbered only 22.310, 

 but when we had more than a 

 million \olunteers who were Regulars in 

 everything but name — notwithstanding 

 that in those 53 years our population 

 has increased from about 31,000,000 

 to 100,000,000. 



We Have No Modern Howitzers and 

 Not Enough Field Guns 

 On December 8, 1914, according to the 



* Since tliis passasc was written the Mexican situation has 

 mitigated its force. The Mobile Army will be increased, 

 probably permanently. — Editor. 



689 



